On March 15, the Alexandria City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the Braddock Road Metro Station Small Area Plan to incorporate into a new Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan. The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan provides a long-range vision for the area that seeks to preserve its history and diversity; encourage multi-modal transportation through bicycle and pedestrian-friendly street designs; envisions a central park and smaller pocket parks, creates opportunities for new and vibrant neighborhood retail stores; and plans for the eventual redevelopment of the area with mixed-income housing and high quality development. It also contemplatess transit-oriented development options at the Braddock Road Metro station site, a key recommendation of the City’s Economic Sustainability Work Group, which released its report last year.

The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan includes the Parker-Gray Historic District, the Braddock Road Metro Station, and a section of Route 1. The plan’s northern boundary is formed by the Monroe Avenue bridge and the Metrorail and CSX railroad tracks; it follows the centerline of Route 1 to the point where Route 1 divides into N. Henry and N. Patrick Streets, then follows N. Patrick Street to Montgomery Street and extends to the mid-block between N. Washington Street and N. Columbus Street. The southern boundary is the mid-block between Cameron Street and King Street, and the western boundary is the Metrorail and CSX railroad tracks. A map of the plan’s specific boundaries can be viewed at alexandriava.gov/braddock.

The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan was developed from a series of community meetings beginning in the fall of 2007 that provided opportunities for residents to participate in educational workshops, a community charette, and a series of work sessions. The City regularly engaged a broad cross section of the community in the planning process to create a vision for how the area should be redeveloped over the next 15 to 20 years.

A neighborhood-based Implementation Advisory Group will be established by the end of the calendar year to provide ongoing input, monitor priorities and phasing in of public amenities, and other actions. During the implementation phase, the City will also seek a new approach to financing by obtaining developer contributions and public funds to pay for the some of the new amenities that the community has prioritized over the next 20 years.

The Plan also provides that the Andrew Adkins public housing complex on Wythe Street eventually will be redeveloped over the long term into a mixed-income community, with clear guidelines for one-for-one replacement of public housing units in the neighborhood and elsewhere in the City. Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille stated that “the City will ensure that public housing residents here will be involved in every step of the planning process to transition this complex into a mixed-income development that improves the quality of life for everyone who resides there.”

“The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan represents a comprehensive effort by City staff and Alexandria residents to develop a shared vision for the future of this neighborhood,” said Mayor. Euille. “The Plan will help to improve the quality of life for everybody who lives there—from current residents to workers, visitors, and future neighbors who move there.”